Card-filing case.



No. 646,330. Patented Mar. 27, I900. r. w.- TUBEY.

CARD FILING cAsE.

(Application filed Aug. 7, 1899.) N 0 ll 0 dal Flag.

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NTTED STAT S V PATENT FFICEE.

FRED w. TOBEY, or GRAND RAPIDS, MICHIGAN.

CARD-FILING CASE.

srncxrrcnrron forming part of Letters Patent No. 646,330, dated March27, 1900;.

Application filed August '7, 1899.

To aZZ whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, FRED W. TOBEY,'a citizen of the United States,residing at Grand Rapids, in the county of Kent and State of Michigan,have invented new and useful Improvements in Gard-Filing Cases, of whichthe following is a specification.

This invention relates to a new and novel device for retaining lists ofall kinds on separate slips or cards such'as'cardboard, sheet metal,celluloid, &c., or of any suitable com bination of materials+and Iprovide such cards, preferably, with notches or slots in order tofacilitate the engagement of the retaining-strips with the cards'for thepurpose of retaining such cards in place when the strips are in theirnormal position.

The objects of my invention are, first, to enable the user with one handto withdraw the drawer containing the cards from the case and at thesame time to free the cards from the retaining-strips, so as to enablehim to remove one or more cards; second, to enable the user to readilyand quickly'lock the 'retaining-strips so that they will not retain thecards in position, and, third, certain other objects particularlypointed out in the claims. These objects I accomplish by means of themechanism illustrated in the accompanying drawings, in which- Figure 1is a transverse sectional View of a drawer constructed in accordancewith my invention, showing the inner surface of the front end of adrawer and the mechanism for operating the retaining-strips. Fig. 2shows a longitudinal sectional View through the center of the drawer,illustrating the relative position of the push-rod,'the locking devicewhich is connected with the handle of the drawer, and the locking-strip.

Similar letters refer to similar parts throughout both views.

A represents the'front end of the drawer.

13 represents the sides of the drawer.

0 represents the push-rod, constructed, preferably, as shown in Fig. 2,having the bent portion at the upper end, making a convenient thumb-restfor depressing the rod when the drawer is removed or partially removedfrom the case. The push-rod slides vertically at the inner side of thefront of, the drawer, and about midway between its Serial No. 726,469.(No model.)

.the ends of two opposite swinging card-retaining strips F, which extendlengthwise of the drawer sides at or near their top edges.

drawer, and they can swing outward or to-' ward the drawer sides to lieagainst the same, and thereby release the cards. The ends of thecardretaining strips are-provided with lateral lugs F, extending inwardand carrying pivots or pins F which engage and'can move in a slot in theend of the transverse bar or plate D.

G represents a metal strip which is used on the top of the sides of thedrawer and which is constructed as shown in Fig. 2 and secured bysuitable screws or rivets to the drawer.

E shows a button which is made rigid with the shank of the pull K. Thepull K is provided with a shank extending through the front of thedrawer, as shown. The push-rod O isslotted and the shank of the pullpassed through the slot. The object.of this construction is to enablethe user to push down the push-rod without moving the button E.

I shows the bottom of the drawer.

J shows a spring, preferably a thin strip of metal, placed beneath thelower end of the push=rod O and below the button E.

L shows a rod at the bottom of the drawer,

used as a way or guide for any ordinary sliding strip or movablepartition. The sliding strip or movable partition, however, is notshown, as the same forms no part of my invention.

The draweris made of sufficient size tocontain a series of cards, andusually the person using the same desires merely to remove one card at atime, and one of the main objects of my invention is to so construct thedevice that the user can with one hand remove the drawer from the caseand at the same time temporarily loosen the cards by means of turnin thebindin -stri as hereinafter de' scribed. In taking the drawer from thecase the fingers of one hand would naturally be .These strips serve toengage the cards in the placed beneath the front of the drawer, whilethe thumb would be placed over the top of the drawer and rest upon thetop or bent portion of the depression-rod 0. By pressing down on thedepression-rod O the springJ is depressed and at the same time thecrossstrip D is carried downward, turning the retaining-strips downclose against the sides of the case, as shown by dotted lines in Fig. 1.This will relieve the cards placed within the case from theretaining-strips, and the user with his other hand can take out any oneor more cards, as he may desire. Should the user accidentally drop thedrawer, the cards would not be spilled, but would remain in the drawer,for the reason that as soon as the thumb is removed from the push-rodthe retaining-strips are immediately returned to normal positionby theaction of the spring J.

In case it is found desirable to unlock and to retain in the unlockedposition all the cards, all that is necessary to do is for the user toturn the pull K and with it the button E until the button E standsperpendicular, when the spring J will be depressed and theretaining-strips closed against the sides of the drawer, and the cardsmay then be removed either one at a time or all together. Thus I haveprovided a double means for loosening the cards-'one temporarily by themere depression of the push-rod O by the thumb and the other bydepressing the pushrod and spring, together with the cross-piece D, bymeans of turning the button E. By using the latter method theretaining-strips are locked out of operative position until the button.E is again turned so as to allow the spring to raise the pushaod O, thecross-piece D, and also the retaining-strips.

The metallic plates G preferably project inwardly beyond the innersurfaces of the sides of the drawer, as in Fig. 1, to constitutebearings or rests for the card-retaining strips F, whereby these stripsare strengthened and made more rigid.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim to have invented, anddesire to secure by Letters Patent, is-- 1. In a card-filing device,-the combination with a drawer, of card-retaining strips extendinglengthwise of the drawer, a vertically-movable push-rod arrangedsubstantially at right angles to said retaining-strips and constructedto operate the latter, and a spring arranged to urge the push-rod upwardand normally hold it in its highest posi tion with the retaining-stripsin engagement with the cards in the drawer, substantially as described.

2. In a card-filing device, the combination with a-drawer, of avertically-movable push.- rod arranged on the inside of the drawer frontand having its upper end in juxtaposition to the top edge of said drawerfront to be depressed by finger-pressure, movable card-retaining stripsextending along the drawer sides, a spring arranged to urge the push-rodupward and normally hold it in its highest position, and means formoving the said retaining-strips from engagement with the cards when thepush-rod is depressed, substantially as described.

3. In a card-filing device, the combination with a drawer, of pivotedcard retaining strips extending along the inside upper portions of thedrawer sides to swing inward and engage and retain the cards in place, avertically movable push-rod arranged on the drawer front and connectedwith and serving to swing said retaining-strips, and a spring normallyholding the push-rod in its raised position and the retaining-stripsswung inward, substantially as described.

4-. In a card-filing device, the combination with a drawer, of avertically-movable push- 1 rod arranged on the insideof the drawer frontand having its upper end in juxtaposition to the top edge thereof to bedepressed by finger-pressure, pivoted card-retaining strips extendingalong the top edge portions of the drawer sides, a spring arranged tonormally hold the push-rod in its raised position, and means forswinging the retaining-strips in an outward direction to release thecards when the push-rod is depressed, substantially as described.

5. In a drawer adapted to hold. cards, tw'o retaining-strips, each stripprovided with a crank connection with a cross-bar, a cross bar rigidlyconnected with a push-rod, apush rod and a spring with which saidpush-rod engages for depressing the same, said spring adapted to raise.said push-rod when the pressure has been removed therefrom, and toreturn the retaining-strips to normal position, substantially asdescribed.

6. In combination with a drawer, of a cardretaining strip, crankssecured to said strips,

a horizontal bar engaging with said cranks, a push-rod to whichsaid'cross-bar' is rigidly attached, a spring placed below the push-rodand engaging with the lower end thereof, a handle provided with a shankextending through the front of the drawer and a button secured to thesaid shank and adapted when the handle is turned, to remove theretainingstrips from the cards, and to lock and hold the same in suchposition, substantially as described.

7. In a drawer for holding cards, the combination of theretaining-strips F F pivoted to the case, provided with the extensionsor cranks F F, a push-rod O, a cross-bar D rigidly attached to the saidpush-rod, a spring J having its bearing against the bottom of thedrawer, and adapted to be pressed downward by means of the push-rod C,said pushrod 0 at the same time swinging the retaining-strips out ofoperative position, substantially as described.

8. The combination with a drawer of two retaining-strips pivotallyconnected with the said drawer, each strip being provided with a lug F,said lug F being provided with pivots connecting the same with thecross-bar D, the cross-bar D rigidly secured to the push-rod O, thepush-rod 0 adapted to bear upon and operate a spring, a pull K providedwith a shank, the button E secured to such shank, said button E adapted,when turned, to depress the spring and hold the same depressed,

and at the same time to retain the retainingstrips out of operativeposition, substantially as described.

9. In a card-filing device, the combination with a drawer, of a push-rodon the drawer front, swinging card-retaining strips extend ing along theinside top edges of the drawer sides, metallic plates secured upon thetop edges of the drawer sides and constituting bearings at their inneredges against which the card-retaining strips work, a spring for Inormally holding the push-rod elevated, and

means for swinging the card-retaining strips outward when the push-rodis depressed, substantially as described.

In testimony whereof I have hereunto set my hand in presence of twosubscribing witnesses.

FRED W. TOBEY.

Witnesses:

EDWARD TAGGART, DORA B. PARKER.

